Journeymakers - Moroni

This month, American Express Travel has asked us to contribute to their #Journeymakers campaign in an effort to encourage travelers to acknowledge and thank those special people that have made their journeys unforgettable. It wasn't long for us to think of a handful of incredible individuals who have greatly impacted some of our most recent adventures. Let's start with where it all began! Our first trip abroad together was on our honeymoon to Panama... In true newlywed fashion, we were glowing with excitement, expectation, and curiosity towards our first adventure together. 

Our first stop was the American Trade Hotel in Panama City. When we arrived, our jaws dropped. Fixated on all the incredible details of this hotel, the bellhop Moroni gathered our luggage and slowly guided us to our rooms. As we walked us to our room, he told us about the hotel’s history, things we needed to know during our stay, and asked about us. We quickly felt welcomed by his warmth, hospitality, and quirky sense of humor. 

During our four days in Panama City, Moroni greatly influenced our stay. On our first day, he recommended we explore Casco Viejo. We wandered the streets for hours, in awe of the historic quarter filled with beautiful restored buildings. Later that afternoon we stopped by the hotel when our stomachs were rumbling and Moroni pointed us towards The Fish Market. Saying these were the best fish tacos we ever had is an understatement. As foodies, this meal was one of the highlights of our honeymoon, and we are so so thankful for Moroni’s recommendation. 

Aside from guiding us towards amazing restaurants each day, Moroni really made us feel at home. If we were sitting in the hotel lobby or sipping on coffee in the lounge, he would come by and ask us what we did that day. It did not seem forced or fake, but rather a genuine interest in finding out how we were enjoying our stay. It was easy to see that Moroni loves Panama and loves people. This love allows him to be an incredible asset to the American Trade Hotel. While the hotel was one of our favorites in the world, it was Moroni that made it truly special. He made this first stop of our honeymoon unforgettable, and we look forward to returning someday to visit him!

*Sponsorship Note: This post was created in partnership with @AmericanExpress Travel celebrating their 100th year anniversary through the #Journeymakers campaign. Share your Journeymaker story here. All content, words and ideas are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow us to create and maintain original content for this blog.

Journeymakers - Martina

This month, American Express Travel has asked us to contribute to their #Journeymakers campaign in an effort to encourage travelers to acknowledge and thank those special people that have made their journeys unforgettable. In our first blog reflecting on #Journeymakers, we shared about Moroni, the lovable bellhop from Panama City. Today we're featuring Martina, a delightful hotel manager from our most recent stay in Pienza, Italy. 

When beginning to plan our Italian adventure, our hope was to get beyond the touristy areas - which can be extremely hard to do in the summer! We knew that we wanted to spend time in Rome and Florence, but we also had the desire to explore the countryside of Italy as well. We decided the best way to do this was to rent a car in Rome, meander our way through Tuscany, and then head to Florence. Looking back, we are SO thankful we did! We made our way from Rome to Pienza, an incredible medieval hilltop town in the Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany. We arrived at our small boutique hotel and met Martina, the bubbly manager who got us all settled into our room. She asked what our plans were during our stay in Pienza, and we told her that we wanted to experience the local culture. She immediately mentioned a nearby restaurant that we must try for dinner, and jumped at the chance to plan our next day for us. While we were a little reluctant to have her plan out our full day (we enjoy a little flexibility - and isn't planning part of the fun?), her smile and excitement were all the convincing we needed! Trusting Martina with our day was completely solidified a few hours later when we were dining with the locals at the delicious Tuscan restaurant she recommended. 

While we were eating breakfast the next morning, Martina approached our table with the biggest grin, letting us know that she had arranged a wine tasting at a small winery in a rural nearby town, AND a private wine tour and lunch at one of her favorite local biodynamic wineries. This sounded great to us! 

At the first winery, we enjoyed some wonderful Brunello and even better views of the rolling landscape. Next, we took a windy dirt road about thirty minutes into the Tuscan hills. We eventually came upon Piombaia, a small biodynamic winery. We were greeted by Roberto and his wife, and noticed we were the only people there. Roberto gave us a tour of the winery, explained what life is like as a biodynamic farmer, and shared the history of his family (Seven generations of his family have operated this winery). He then sat us down in a picturesque little dining room, and he and his wife proceeded to feed us an authentic 5 course meal. EVERYTHING we ate was grown at their farm and made in their kitchen... Even the olive oil! It was absolutely incredible, and we spent a good amount of the time laughing and pinching ourselves over the experience. Here we were at this tiny winery enjoying superb Italian meal. In the moment we didn’t feel like tourists. We felt as if we were just visitors or friends of Roberto and his wife. It was an absolutely dreamy afternoon!

We returned to our boutique hotel and found Martina, who was eager to hear how our day was. We shared all about our experiences and thanked her for all she had done for us. While Martina could have directed us towards the big name places where all the tour buses go, she took the time to create an experience for us that was unique and authentic. And for that reason, Martina is a journeymaker that we will NEVER forget!

*Sponsorship Note: This post was created in partnership with @AmericanExpress Travel celebrating their 100th year anniversary through the #Journeymakers campaign. Share your Journeymaker story here. All content, words and ideas are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow us to create and maintain original content for this blog.